1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coin separating and transferring apparatus for sorting coins of a plurality of denominations having different diameters, one by one, and sending the sorted coins to a subsequent process procedure. Also, the present invention relates to a coin separating and transferring apparatus for sorting coins having different diameters, one by one, and then delivering them to a stationary position, on a rotary disk, adjacent a transferring apparatus which transfers the coins to a sensor part.
2. Description of Related Art
A first conventional technology, of an apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-114978, filed by the applicant is directed to a coin sending apparatus for a coin separating and transferring apparatus in which coins are held in a sorting recessed part placed on an upper surface of a rotary disk and sorted one by one. The coins are delivered to a rotating coin transferring apparatus, wherein a movable body forming a recessed part and movable in a diameter direction of the rotary disk is provided. The movable body is moved across a diameter direction of the rotary disk with a timed delivery to the coin transferring apparatus.
In the first conventional technology, coins are received in a recessed part, sorted one by one, and held therein. When the recessed part moves to a delivery position for the coin transferring apparatus, the movably body forming the recessed part moves in a diameter direction of the rotary disk, and the coins held in the recessed part are actively moved in the diameter direction of the rotary disk. Therefore, the coins can be delivered to the coin transferring apparatus at the moved position and the coin dispensing position can be controlled based on the movement position of the movable body, and therefore the dispensing position is advantageously not restricted. However, in the first conventional apparatus, a moving mechanism to move the movable body is required, thereby increasing the number of components and restricting any cost reduction.
Japanese Patent No. 4,093,753 discloses a coin feeding apparatus including a tilted disk having an upper part in a tilted posture toward a back direction, a columnar boundary periphery part formed of a low part and a high part of the tilted disk, a reservoir hopper frame forming a reservoir hopper accumulating coins between the reservoir hopper and a front surface of the tilted disk. A plurality of scraping projections are provided with predetermined pitches on a circumference of the front surface of the tilted disk at a predetermined radius position and rotate in conjunction with the tilted disk to scrape coins on a lower area of the tilted disk, one by one, to an upper area. A driving unit is provided for rotating and driving the tilted disk and the plurality of scraping projections. The apparatus scrapes coins in the lower area of the tilted disk via the scraping projections one by one to the upper area of the tilted disk to send the coins from a coin sending area of the upper area of the tilted disk.
The coin feeding apparatus is provided with an outer perimeter projection provided correspondingly to at least one of the plurality of scraping projections in an outer perimeter area of the scraping projections on the front surface of the tilted disk and supports two points of each of the coins in the lower area of the tilted disk in cooperation with the corresponding scraping projection and scraping the coin toward the upper area of the tilted disk.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,193 discloses that a coin feeder mechanism has been known, in which a plurality of lock pins for coins are provided with predetermined spacing therebetween on a same virtual circle in a rotating pinwheel and, after a coin is placed in a state of being fixed on a rotary disk, it is moved along a shelfwheel fixedly placed at a center part of the rotary disk. The coin is moved by the locking pins along a fixed knife extending in a circumferential direction continuously from a fixed shelfwheel.
Japanese Patent No. 3,981,372 discloses a rotary-disk-type coin sending apparatus has been known, in which the apparatus includes one body with one outlet. The apparatus includes one rotary disk is provided on the body. A coin transfer surface has a plurality of pushing columns aligned in radial rows. The plurality of pushing columns are fixed to the rotary disk and project from the coin transfer surface. A space between adjacent rows of the pushing columns serves as a coin accommodation space.
A guide arm is provided on the body and near the outlet to partially cover a coin transfer surface of the rotary disk. A guide wall and at least one arc groove on a bottom surface is configured to enable the arc guide to communicate with the guide wall, thereby allowing the pushing columns to rotate the rotary disk and pass through the guide arm. The rotary disk has a plurality of coin sliding projections in a shape of being gently tilted from the pushing columns onto the coin transfer surface. A plurality of coin sliding projections are formed on the coin transfer surface and are in contact with one side of the pushing columns opposite to the guide wall, thereby preventing a coin from being pushed to one side of the pushing columns.